Restraint plate for humans in vehicles

ABSTRACT

Restraint plate for humans in vehicles, comprised of belts ( 1 ) that surround the shoulders and the waist of a child and which are sewn for maximum safety. The device is also comprised of a plate ( 2 ) for cervical protection, which should be attached to the car seat by the conventional seat belt that comes in the car and another belt ( 18 ) designed to secure the whole device to the car seat.

FIELD OF INVENTION

This invention is a RESTRAINT PLATE FOR HUMANS IN VEHICLES, comprised ofa fully anatomical RESTRAINT PLATE with several openings for the strapswhich will serve to restrain the user. More specifically, the RestraintPlate of this invention will be attached to the car seat. Thislow-weight device is easy to install, and can be handled by anybody.Even more specifically, the plate will be attached to the car by theexisting seat belt.

PRINCIPLE OF THE INVENTION

Lately, many countries have passed laws requiring the use of retentiondevices for children. The criteria under consideration are weight, sizeor height or even age brackets. From this standpoint, there have beenmany inventions, which aim to relate to this normalization. They aim toprovide a means to comply with the legislation, to provide low-costproducts which are safer and which, at the same time, will mean morecomfort both for the direct user—the children—and for the indirect user,the adults who use the cars to which they are attached.

As an example of an attempt to improve in the safety and comfortcriteria, we have U.S. Pat. No. 6,572,189, in which Lee M. Blaymoreraises the problem of chairs which are attached to the car seat andwhich have raised side panels, which serve as arm rests for the child.As it turns out, these raised sides present an obstacle for removing thechild as they block the exit path. To solve this problem, a platformattached by the car seat belts was created. This platform has ahorizontal and a vertical plate where the child seat would be placed.This device would allow the chair to rotate towards the exit door,thereby making it possible to access the child and to remove him/herfrom the car from a frontal position. However, in this case, the chairwill remain attached to the car seat on a permanent basis and willtherefore, occupy considerable space in the vehicle, which means a lossof usable room. Moreover, those chairs with armrests impair the child'smobility and do not allow heat to be dissipated easily.

In U.S. Pat. No. 6,679,550 (Goor et al), a child safety seat that can beattached to the front seat of the car is demonstrated. This documentstates that data from the United States Government show that severalchildren sustained serious injuries and some have even died because ofthe impact with the back rest of the front seat, especially when thereis someone sitting there at the moment of the accident. However, thischair requires the adult to remove it and place it somewhere else in thecar, anytime someone needs the space to sit. The whole procedure can berather inconvenient. Moreover, this invention requires the existence ofan air bag for the seat to which it is attached and can not be placed incars that do not come with this safety device. An alternative would beto fit the child seat with its own air bag and that would becounterproductive as the final cost would be considerably increased.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,848,793, USA Fred Huspen and Lara L. Thomas; U.S. Pat.No. 12,992,097, Canada; patent No. 204,542,88, Japan and patent No.88307607.7, Europe, all describe safety devices for children. Theycontain a plate which is surrounded by two sets of straps distributed insuch a way that, in the event of a collision or a sudden need forbraking, could seriously harm the user, as described below: thehorizontal strap is located over the abdomen of the child and that couldinjure the internal organs in case of an accident or even if the driverhas to brake suddenly; there is no guarantee that the straps placedvertically over the shoulders would remain in their correct position,because children are naturally restless and are always fidgeting. Withregards to the plate, the size will cause it to move. Many variables areat play, and depending on the seriousness of the accident or the speedof the vehicle when the brakes were applied, the movement of the childwill cause the plate to change positions. It may even result in theplate coming to a longitudinal position between the child and the carseat. Therefore, the whiplash effect on the child's body can result inserious injuries. This issue is brought up because the problem andconsequent injury will be compounded because the fixation system for theplate consists only of the conventional sub-abdominal seat belt. Thereis no auxiliary retention or fixation system, which will cause to plateto become really stabilized. With regards to the anatomical aspect ofthe plate, it is possible to verify that it does not offer comfort tothe user, as it is not molded. Another question that must be consideredis the effect of whiplash on the neck. It is known that this causesdeceleration of the brain, avoided only if the plate design provides forsome angulation, which we could not see in these plates. Since there isno adequate system for adjusting the plate by age brackets and childsize, since we know that there are regulations that deal with differentage groups, and since the restraint devices must follow the currentnorms and regulations, it is impossible to have a single product whichwould fit all customers, or one without an adjustment mechanism thatwould allow it to be adjusted to the child's growth.

Aiming to solve the problem caused by multiple users for the same carseat, U.S. Pat. No. 6,676,213, Timothy S. Dlugos, claims a child'ssafety seat which has removable seats of several sizes and which canaccommodate people of various sizes and weight. On the other hand, inspite of enabling different people to use it, this chair continues topresent the same inconvenience of other chairs, since the removableparts will continue to occupy considerable space within the vehicle. Inaddition to that, there is the question of having to select which seatwould be more comfortable for which person. We find it worthwhilepointing out that this device does not use the seat belts that alreadycome with the car. They are attached by their own straps. This couldpossible result in an incorrect positioning of this device by the user,with the consequent loss in safety.

Since the strap distribution system has a clasp that allows fordifferent adjustment points for effective restraint, the straps that areused for restraint will always remain in place, relative to the child'sbody, that is, fastened and adjusted to the shoulders and pelvis.According to the guidelines issued by orthopedists, these are the placeswhere restraint should be applied. Even if the child moves about, thestraps will remain securely fastened to the correct places.

Therefore, it would be interesting to develop a new concept in safetydevices for humans in vehicles which would adhere to the safety normsand legislation and which would, at the same time, represent a seatwhich could be used by people of different sizes and weight, would allowfor the dissipation of heat, would not constrain arm and leg movement,which would be attached to the seat by seat belts that come in the carand whose production costs would be relatively low.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 represents a frontal view of the RESTRAINT PLATE, which will beused by human in vehicles.

FIG. 2 has a view of the back of the RESTRAINT PLATE FOR HUMANS INVEHICLES. One can see the terminal which must be fastened to the body ofthe car and the belt that will fasten the cervical protection plate tothe seat back, as well as the belt that gathers all the other belts onthe back.

On FIG. 3 one can see another frontal view of the RESTRAINT PLATE FORHUMANS IN VEHICLES. The figure shows the padded protection with theslits and guides for the straps and for the conventional seat beltstraps.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the RESTRAINT PLATE FOR HUMANS IN VEHICLES,where the different in thickness in the lower part is shown. This allowsfor the human to remain in a position that would decrease the effect ofbacklash injury to the neck.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

This invention is a RESTRAINT PLATE FOR HUMANS IN VEHICLES, which wouldreplace the current safety seats for children. The Restraint Plate islight and fully anatomical and can be easily attached to the car seatthrough its own safety strap system. In addition to being easy toattach, it allows for the dissipation of heat, and gives the childfreedom of movement. This plate represents an improvement over currentdevices, as it does not prevent other people, of different height andweight, from using the car seat.

That is, when installed, the plate whose patent is being requested willnot take up useful space so hat other users can occupy the place whereit was installed. Anyone will be able to seat comfortably where theplate was installed. Removing it for adults becomes then unnecessary.This is not the case when a conventional safety seat in installed in acar.

This plate can be used by people of different age brackets: from32-month old children to 13 year olds. It can also be used by physicallychallenged people, especially those who have motor coordination problemsor neurological disorders. The plate won't require replacement as allthat is necessary is to adjust for the height of the person using it.The same can not be said for the current safety chairs since they needto be replaced as their users grow.

Since the plate is perforated and does not have side panels, it will notcause the user to feel undue heat, one of the most significant drawbacksof the current devices, which were mostly designed to be used incold-climate places, rather than in a place where warm weather prevails.In addition to that, this invention allows the user to have greaterfreedom of movement. Because of its configuration, it is also easy toremove the child from the seat, since there are no side panels to blockthe way.

The fact that it is an easily installed, lightweight device representsanother significant advantage over the currently available seats, as thelatter are usually heavy and cumbersome and difficult to positionproperly. This increases the possibilities of a mistake in theinstallation, which could cause accidents or, at the very least,represent a breach in the security they offer their users.

Since the plate is a small device, with few parts, it will be very costeffective and we estimate that it will retail for approximately 25% ofthe price of the existing chairs.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

This invention is described below through the presentation of thephysical features of the product we are requesting a patent for,including but not limited to the described application:

The belts (1) that surround the shoulders are attached by flattenedrings (16) to the straps which are located on the back of the cervicalprotection plate (2). They come out from the front of the cervicalprotection plate (2) and pass separately to the back of the cervicalprotection plate (2) through the slits (3) and surround the shoulders,where the belts (1) come down to around the height of the waist of thehuman being. At this point they are close to each other, but they passseparately through two latches which make up the locking system for the3-point belt lock (5). When they are waist high, the straps (1) gotowards the front of the cervical protection plate (2), passing throughslits (11) where the ends of the straps (1) will be fastened to theother strap (13) through a set of flat rings (15) which will work as aself-locking system. Both straps (6) will be firmly sewed to this strap(13) separately, on the front of the cervical protection plate (2) andwill come out from the front of the cervical protection plate (2) passthrough the slits (9) and go towards the lower part of the back of thecervical protection plate (2), and thus come out between the child'slegs. The straps (6) will then go up to the child's waist where theywill pass, separately through two regulating buckles (12) which will besewed to the lower end of the 3-point attachment system (5). Thecervical protection plate (2) will have six slits (3) that serve toadjust the straps (1) to the child's height. Each strap (1) will alsohave another adjustment device (4) for fine tuning the heightadjustment. The cervical protection plate (2) will have six slits (8)for the conventional seat belt straps. They can be threaded from left toright or vice-versa. The cervical protection plate (2) has a slit (10)in the upper part and another slit (17) in the lower part. They will beused to pass the strap (18) to the back of the cervical protection plate(2) between the cervical protection plate (2) and the padded cover (21)that will surround the cervical protection plate (2) next to the carseat. The end of the strap will have a terminal (19) with a self-lockingsystem for the straps (18). In the place where the strap (18) passesthrough the lower border of the car seat back, there will be a terminal(20) with a hole. Use a screw to attach it to the body of the car, nextto the place where the conventional seat belt is attached. The cervicalprotection plate (2) is molded in such a way as to be fully anatomicaland comfortable to a child's back. It will also be fitted with a paddedcover (21) that will provide additional protection and comfort. Atshoulder height, the straps (1) will be padded (22) and this paddingwill help absorb any impact. The front part of the cervical protectionplate (2) has a support that was specially designed so that the plate(2) rests at a slight angle towards the back. That feature willcontribute to decrease backlash injury to the neck. The lower part ofthe padded cover (21) is designed for the child to sit on. In the paddedcover (21) there are two internal guides (26) that will serve asopenings for the two straps (6) to go through (26), so that they comefrom the front of the child, around the kidneys, go towards the back andcome out together between the legs where they will again be joined bythe two adjustment buckles (12). There are six slits (3) in the cervicalprotection plate (2). They are there to allow the side head rests to befastened (27). These will come equipped with a cricket self-lockingsystem on the lower extremity. Such a system will allow for the sidehead rest to be firmly fastened (27) to the slits (3), so as to providea perfect fit for the human user. The purpose of the side rests (27)will be to decrease the impact in the case of lateral collisions, thusreducing the problems caused by the space/weight variables. On one sideof the 3-point belt system (5) there are two adjustable openings (28)for the strap (29) that goes under the user's legs. They can be threadedfrom left to right or vice-versa and pass through two other adjustableopenings (28) located on the other side of the 3-point system (5). Astrap (29) is used to adjust the 3-point system (5) so that it is placedin the correct height, over the user's abdomen and also to keep thestraps (11) in position in relation to the user's pelvis.

The materials used in the Restraint Plate for humans are listed but arenot limited to plastics and elastometers currently in use and which havethe required size and resistance for use in this invention. Othermaterials, such as metals, can also be used (i.e. porous aluminum,aluminum foam—or compressed aluminum—and other composite materials).

This invention was tested in a Vectra, a passenger car made by GMB(General Motors Brazil). Impact tests were carried out against a truckbumper and a rigid barrier, in strict accordance with global crash-teststandards.

In the first test, the vehicle speed was 50 Km/h, and the impactrepresented a 11 G deceleration. During the second test, although thespeed used was the same, at the time of the collision, deceleration wasmeasured at 35 G. In both tests, the results demonstrated that theperformance of the RESTRAINT PLATE FOR HUMANS was better than thespecifications set forth by European, American and Brazilian norms, inwhich deceleration tests of only 20 G were required.

That is, when using an instrumented dummy, representative of a 6-yearold child weighing 28 Kg, both the movement of the plate, in relation tothe car seat and of the dummy in relation to the plate, the headmovement and the backlash, were extremely satisfactory, as the finalfigure was around 480 mm, that is, below the 540 mm required by nationaland international norms.

The above description of this invention served to illustrate its use.However, this description is not intended to limit the uses theinvention might have, to those revealed here. Consequently, changes thatprove to be compatible to what has been revealed above, as well as theskill or knowledge of the relevant technique, fall within the scope ofthis invention.

The intention of the above description is to better illustrate the knownuses for this intervention and to allow the technicians who work in thisfield to use this invention in this manner or in other manners, andincorporate any changes that might be needed in view of specificapplications or uses this invention might be put to. The overall aim isthat this invention includes all the changes and variations that mightfall within the scope of this report and the attached claims.

1. “RESTRAINT PLATE FOR HUMANS IN VEHICLES”, characterized by the factthat it is comprised of two belts (1) that surround the shoulders andpass through two latches that form the 3-point locking system (5). Theythen return to the anterior end, at the height of the waist, where thesestraps go through openings (11) in the fully anatomical and paddedcervical protection plate (2). The two straps are joined behind theplate and the end of each strap will be fastened to another strap whichhas a two-ring system (15) which will serve as controlling and adjustingdevices for the strap (13) that remains on the back of the cervicalprotection plate (2). Two straps (6) go towards the back of the plateand will pass between the legs of the person being restrained. The samestraps will continue towards the waist and will be fastened in thelocking system (5) where the cervical protection plate (2) has slits (8)through which the conventional seat belt can pass to secure the back ofthe safety seat to the car seat, thus allowing for the car seatretractor system to work, should an accident happen. Another strap (18)will surround the cervical protection plate (2) and fasten it to the carseat. This same strap (18) will have a terminal (20), which must bescrewed to the car body, next to the point where the conventional seatbelt is attached.
 2. “RESTRAINT PLATE FOR HUMANS IN VEHICLES”, accordingto claim 1, characterized by the fact that it is intended for use inautomotive vehicles.
 3. “RESTRAINT PLATE FOR HUMANS IN VEHICLES”,according to claim 2, characterized by the fact that it is to be used incars, airplanes, buses, ships and vehicles destined to domestic use. 4.“RESTRAINT PLATE FOR HUMANS IN VEHICLES”, according to claim 1,characterized by the fact that it is to be used by humans ranging in agefrom 32 months to 12 years of age.
 5. “RESTRAINT PLATE FOR HUMANS INVEHICLES”, according to claim 4, characterized by the fact that it is tobe used by growth impaired people as well as those who have problemsmaintaining their balance.
 6. “RESTRAINT PLATE FOR HUMANS IN VEHICLES”,according to claim 4, characterized by domestic use by impaired peoplewho have problems maintaining their balance.
 7. “RESTRAINT PLATE FORHUMANS IN VEHICLES”, according to claim 1, characterizing the fact thatit is intended for use by people with physical impairments, of any age.